21st century an Asian century, says Kazakhstan President Tokayev at CICA Summit

By Ayushi Agarwal
Astana [Kazakhstan], October 13 : Highlighting that Asia is on course to dominate the 21st century, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev opened the sixth CICA summit in Astana on Thursday stressing the fact that the future of Asia depends on the collective will to strengthen dialogue among cultures and traditions.
"The forecast that the 21st century will be the century of Asia is now a reality. But the future of Asia itself depends on our collective willingness to strengthen dialogue among cultures, traditions and worldviews", he said at Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Astana.
"This year marks the 30th anniversary of the initiative to convene this conference. Over this period, it has become a platform for multilateral cooperation and international institution of modern diplomacy. A particularly important task that we have is to achieve sustainability in international relations in the face of emerging unprecedented threats. It is critical to give a new impetus to multilateral mechanisms and to return to open dialogue," he added in his opening remarks.
Further, outlining his priorities for the upcoming Chairmanship of CICA, the Kazakhstan President also highlighted global issues such as economic disruptions, environment and climate change.
"First, the economic dimension, Disruptions in global supply chains force us to take a revised look at the formation of efficient transit-transport corridors. The environment is becoming increasingly important. Climate change is leading to natural disasters that became more unpredictable and catastrophic. In 2021, 57 million people in Asia were affected by them", he said.
Describing the decarbonization of the economy as extremely urgent for Asia, Kazakhstan's President said, "to address this problem, we need investments in unprecedented amounts. In a month, Egypt will host COP27. I propose to hold a High-Level Conference in 2024 in Astana on environmental issues in CICA."
Tokayev noted that there is a need of a real working mechanism for food security in the CICA space. "Asia produces 2/3 of the world's agricultural products, but remains vulnerable in this area", he added.
The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia. It is a forum based on the recognition that there is a close link between peace, security and stability in Asia and in the rest of the world.
The Member States, while affirming their commitment to the UN Charter, believe that peace and security in Asia can be achieved through dialogue and cooperation leading to a common indivisible area of security in Asia where all states co-exist peacefully and their peoples live in peace, freedom and prosperity.
With 27 member states and about half the population our the planet, CICA is the largest regional intergovernmental forum in Asia for enhancing cooperation towards promoting, peace, security and stability in Asia.
From India, Meenakshi Lekhi is leading the delegation to the 6th Summit meeting of the Conference of Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Astana, Kazakhstan. As one of the founding members of CICA, India has supported CICA's initiatives, including by organizing and participating in various CICA activities.
On the sidelines of the CICA Summit, the Minister will also have some bilateral meetings with senior dignitaries and Ministers from other participating countries, including Kazakhstan, as stated by the Press release by the External Affairs Ministry.
India has close and friendly ties with Kazakhstan underpinned by cultural and historical linkages. MoS's visit comes at an opportune time as India marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with both countries. The visit will further reinforce the momentum in India's bilateral relations with these countries.